Oatmeal Enthusiasts: Try 6 Tips For a Better Bowl

Oatmeal may never have the magnetic allure of luscious chocolate cake or breakfast brethren like lofty dutch babies or loaded breakfast burritos. Still, one need not resign to a bland or gloppy bowl: I start almost every day with a bowl full to the brim and have yet to grow bored. Here are a few tips that are too good not to share.

1. Don't forget the salt: While the instructions on the tub of oats might imply that salt is optional, quite frankly it's not. Your bowl of oatmeal shouldn't taste salty (unless, of course, you're trying a savory iteration, like the one below), but adding a hefty pinch will help enhance flavors whether nutty, sweet, or creamy. Just make sure to season to taste after it's done cooking; if you add it at the start, the oats will release less of their starch, and the resulting texture won't be as creamy.
2. Skip instant oats: These flaky par-cooked fragments might simmer up quicker, but with a catch: the resulting bowl of oatmeal will be reminiscent of wallpaper paste. Instead, try rolled (old-fashioned) oats or steel-cut groats. Not only are these options more toothsome and robustly flavored, they'll stave off hunger longer.
3. Swap out water for other liquids: Boost flavor by experimenting with other liquids. For a creamier bowl, try milk or nondairy alternatives like almond or soy milk. For zestier flavor, replace up to half of the water with juices like pomegranate or orange.

Keep reading for three more tips.

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